When Leafs Would Fall
by Iridescent Swan
Summary: It was the season of fall...a season where secret, underlying colors are shown... You see, it's the cold that causes them to change and fall, she thought. The cold eats out the fringes, destroys the exterior, and slowly works its way in. Written for 'Leafs' Contest of the Story Harvest Forum! ONESHOT


**Hello! My first Harvest Moon oneshot! 8D And also my very first entry for a contest xD Please check out the Story Harvest forum!**

**Disclaimer: No leafs were harmed in the making of this...story. Or drowned, for that matter. And I don't own Harvest Moon...**

When Leafs Would Fall

Selena leaned against the railing, watching a red leaf slowly descend.

It was the season of fall; the season where leafs did nothing but fall, and a season where their secret, underlying colors are shown.

Selena cried out in frustration.

"Ugh! Stupid, pointless leafs! Always—", she tore at them, "getting in my hair, my clothes, my face!"

She stopped and stared at the ground beside her, where the leafs she had just clawed at now lay. A boar snorted three meters to her left, and she looked at it. It was staring at her with a look that said, "what's your problem?"

"Shoo!" she yelled. The boar, startled, ran away from the scene. "Animals..." she continued.

She honestly did not know what she was doing up at the Brownie Ranch. Like she just showed, she hated animals. She sighed. Right. She needed a change of scenery, a place where no one would expect to find her. Unfortunately, there were still leaves floating in the breeze. Seems like she could not escape everything then.

"Damn it!" she yelled. A dry brown leaf just flew by her face. She watched it get carried by the wind. Walking away from the arms of the great Alan's Tree, she followed the little adventure of this leaf, which eventually led her to some sort of old picnic area that overlooked the sea. When she finally reached the railings, she continued to stare at this brown leaf, which by then had already fallen into the cradling waves of the blue sea. Selena scoffed. It somehow reminded her of a certain brown-haired girl.

The leaf stared up at her, refusing to be carried away away away, taunting Selena to no end. It was the season of fall, after all. It was the season when outer coverings were shed and the things underneath were seen. Well, that was just a theory when she set foot on the island anyway. And it has just been proved by the person she least expected.

She looked back at the beginning of that year. It was Spring when she arrived, and it was also that same season when she was able to make a new friend: Angela. A newcomer herself, she and Selena became close as they both worked part-time at the Sundae Inn and as they both spent their Sundays by the beach. The mysterious dander slowly started opening up to the farmer, and she eventually told her best friend about her secret obsession with "that crazy carpenter up the hills".

"Hmph," she said. "Who needs them?"

She flung her long, wavy red hair over her shoulder and a breeze blew. It was cold. Too cold. She shivered. Back at her home in Toucan Island, it was always so warm. Sometimes, it was even too warm with her parents being so lovey dovey all the time. But now, she's give anything to be back home. It was better than seeing cold feet and being treated with cold shoulders. Another leaf hits her shoulder before flying off into the horizon.

_You see, it's the cold that causes these leaves to change and fall, _she thought. _It eats out the fringes, destroys the exterior, and slowly works its way in._ And that was exactly what happened.

She and Luke had already been together for almost a year, but a week before their anniversary, she caught Luke and Angela having a whispered conversation near her home.

Angela looked dead mad and was scolding him for some reason. Selena remembered Angela saying something like "...can't keep that forever...you better tell Selena soon!"

Luke replied hurriedly and then hugged her, and Selena finally decided to step out from the tree she hid behind.

"Hey guys!" she said.

The two both jumped away and she studied their faces.

"H-hey there, Honey," her "boyfriend" said.

"Hey!" she replied. She put her hands behind her back and leaned forward. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Oh no, no!" replied Angela. Oh did that girl fidget nervously. "Nothing at all!"

"Hmm," Selena said. She turned back to her boyfriend. "Ate lunch yet, dear? Let's go to the Sundae Inn."

"Okay," he replied. She noticed that there were beads of sweat on his forehead, that his hands kept closing and opening and that his eyes quickly darted to look at Angela before looking back at Selena. Selena then kissed him passionately on the lips.

But that was just the beginning, and that was not his last visit to Angela's house. Everyday after that, he would visit her early in the morning, throwing a nervous glance behind him every now and then. However, Selena knew how to hide well, so she never got caught. She also noticed that he kept taking out something from his pocket, and that he would hastily stuff it back in once Angela started opening the door.

Luke also kept on zoning out on her. Well, actually due to his hyperness, he would really disappear from their conversation from time to time, but this was different. He constantly looked at her with this...look. Like he wanted to tell her something oh-so-desperately, but he couldn't. Like he wanted to break out something...important.

But she was Selena. She just could not put up with that kind of behavior, both from her best friend and her boyfriend. So she did what she had to do.

"What is your problem?" she yelled. Luke had zoned out again. "First, I catch you with my best friend and you were hugging her. That was okay, you guys have a right to be friends. But your reaction? You just looked like you stole something, or something! Jumping back by a hundred feet, big, nervous, puppy eyes, clammy hands? Oh yes and that wasn't even the last. You had to visit her every single day after that, taking out, what, some sort of gift for her, then deciding to put it back in your pocket right before she goes out the door. Wow Luke, I really appreciate that."

By now, Selena was fuming and her blue-haired companion was staring at her with wide, shocked eyes.

"Oh yes and uh, when you actually do remember to spend time with me, you spend half the time zoning out, and what, probably wandering back to, oh I don't know, Angela?"

She sighed heavily. Her hands shook and she was surprised to feel something wet fall on her hand. A tear. Her tear.

"I thought you were...different," she whispered.

"Se—Selena—"

"Save it!" she snapped. She then turned on her heels and ran.

Selena leaned against the railing, watching a red leaf slowly descend.

"H-hey! Selena wait!"

She scowled. Turning around, she said, "what do you wa—oof!"

Luke had shoved something in her face. Something...itchy...soft...and...blue.

"Selena, will you marry me?"

She stared, disbelieving, at the blue feather.

"I, uh, was asking for help from Angela," he explained. "She uh, was pushing me to, what I mean is, she, it, this was her idea."

He laughed nervously. He then looked down and scratched his head. "And I kept visiting her because she was demanding that I show her the feather. When I get it, she said, I should immediately go propose to you..."

Selena felt the small, tender thing in her hands.

"And well, when I was 'zoning out', as you said, it was because I was trying to find the right words and the right time to tell you. So uh, Selena, I'm kind of a fool. And an idiot. And I'm sorry. So yes, I could understand if you don't want to marry a guy like me—"

She cut him off by pressing her lips against his.

Did she mention that leafs fall during that season?

***AN I hope you guys got what I meant whenever I mentioned the leafs xD And yes, "leafs" is a word. Both "leafs" and "leaves" are valid plural forms of the word "leaf".**

**So...comments? :) ~Iris**


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